Mediation Option for the Recent Catalan-Spanish Conflict

10 October 2017

In an early morning interview with RTS on Friday, 6th October 2017, GCSP Associate Fellow, Dr Paul Vallet, discussed mediation options for the most recent conflict between the Catalans and the Spanish authorities.

The most recent clash between Catalans and Spanish authorities occurred on 1st October when Catalonia’s regional government staged an independence referendum, which was deemed as “illegal” by the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy.

As the referendum took place, the Spanish authorities intervened to stop the vote from taking place. Around 900 people were injured by the Spanish police in the process - to whom the Spanish government’s representative in Catalonia, Enric Millo, publicly apologised on Friday.

The latest event has deteriorated the relationship between the Catalans and the national government even more, forcing the international community to consider option for mediation.

Dr Vallet was asked about his thoughts on who - between a Spanish political party, the church or Switzerland - might be in the best position to help de-escalate tensions between the two groups. He replied that while it would be very complicated for an internal party and the church to mediate between the two, Switzerland would be a valid option due to their considerable past experiences of being involved in mediation efforts.

“However,” said Dr Vallet, “there must be a consensus among all of the involved parties agreeing to Switzerland participating and mediating a resolution.”

ABOUT GCSP

The Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) is an international foundation established in 1995, with 52 member states, for the primary purpose of promoting peace, security and international cooperation through executive education and training, applied policy analysis and dialogue.